From high school grappler to octagon gladiator, Andrew Valdina is going from one physical sport to another.
After years mixing it up on the wrestling mat, the former Dracut High and Bridgewater State star has traded in his headgear for a set of mix martial arts mitts, as he pursues a career in the ultimate fighting arena.
One of the rising stars in the Cage Titans circuit, Valdina (3-0) defeated Mike Taylor in a 140-pound battle Saturday at Plymouth Memorial Hall.
“That fight was unreal,” said Valdina, 25. “Each professional fight I try to take an incremental increase in talent. Saturday was no different. Mike Taylor’s a tough dude. He throws the leather hard, but I was ready for that.”
A 5-foot-7 fighter, Valdina gained the upper hand 50 seconds into the bout. He landed a big left hook that dropped his opponent, before jumping onto Taylor’s back. After a brief tussle, the Pelham, N.H., resident managed to apply a rear naked choke hold, with Taylor tapping out at 1:50 of the first round.
“Everything that I trained with my strength and grappling coaches was all on display Saturday,” said Valdina. “It felt awesome to see it all work. Anybody can hit a bag. To see it work in front of thousands of people just felt awesome.”
After honing his skills for three years as an amateur, Valdina turned pro this past fall. Nicknamed “The Gladiator,” he made an impressive debut with a first-round victory over Rob Fuller on Oct. 29, utilizing an arm triable choke just 1:54 into the match. He kicked off 2023 with a win over Seth Basler on Jan. 7. The grappler slipped a rear naked choke at 4:50 of the first round, prompting his opponent to submit.
Each victory is just another rung up the ladder for the MMA prospect.
“I feel like I can hang with any of these guys,” said Valdina. “I know I’m not getting thrown into the fire against the highest talented people just yet, but I’m working there. From those three showings and the hard amateur fights I’ve had before turning pro, I feel I could take anybody out. I feel comfortable where I’m at.”
A three-year captain with the Bridgewater State wrestling team, Valdina is no stranger to the rough stuff. He went 15-13 his sophomore year, while recording five pins his senior season (2018-19). Valdina posted a career collegiate mark of 41-65 with the Bears, earning seven pins.
“Unfortunately, there’s no next thing after college wrestling, unless you go to the Olympics,” said Valdina. “And after eight straight years of grinding and beating myself up every single day, to do nothing right after was awful. I needed something to work towards.”
He initially joined the Navy with an eye on working in the special warfare department, but a failed color vision test his first week of boot camp forced him to consider other options. That’s when mixed martial arts came into the picture. It was an idea first inspired by Bridgewater wrestling coach Frank Cammisa. The Bears coach was a cornerman for UFC legend Joe Lauzon, who had an Easton-based gym close to campus.
“I needed to cut weight one time,” said Valdina. “Coach brought me over to Lauzon’s MMA and I just fell right into it. I fell in love with the gym, and still wanted to compete. That’s how I got into MMA.”
While he enjoyed the change of pace, his family took a little more convincing.
“They’re all onboard now,” said Valdina. “But it took some fights for them to get use to the fact that this is what I wanted to do. At first my mom was like, ‘Andrew, I swear if this guy hurts you, I’m jumping over the cage myself.’ But now she sees that I’ve got a good team that teaches me not to be one of those kids that gets their head bashed in. I’m a good fighter and my family sees it. They look forward to my fights and love to be there screaming their brains out.”
Eventually, Valdina is hoping to take his passion to the national stage, whether it be UFC, Bellator or ONE Championship promotions. The opportunities are endless.
“This truly is the fastest evolving sport in today’s market,” said Valdina. “So many different leagues are popping up and everyone is getting better so fast it’s crazy.”
As for now, Valdina is just looking to keep his undefeated streak intact. He’s expected to return to the octagon against a yet unknown opponent May 27.
“I’m really trying to make my mark in this sport and be the greatest of all time,” said Valdina. “I hope I can keep entertaining everybody and get even more fans in my corner.”
